FOX SPORTS CELEBRATES AMERICA’S BIRTHDAY WITH THE NATIONAL PASTIME – On this Independence Day weekend, FOX Sports celebrates with an American tradition: Summer baseball. The FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL GAME OF THE WEEK continues its primetime run with five games on Saturday, July 6 (7:00 PM ET). Out west, the MLB story of the moment, Yasiel Puig, leads the Dodgers into battle against Buster Posey and the defending champion Giants. Joe Buck, Tim McCarver and Ken Rosenthal call the action from AT&T Park. NL East rivals meet as the Phillies host the first-place Braves. The Rays look to stay in the thick of the AL East race as they host the White Sox. The battle for Texas takes place as the Astros travel to Arlington to take on the Rangers. Also, the Mets visit the Brewers.

Coverage begins with the FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL PREGAME SHOW originating live from MLB Network’s state-of-the-art Studio 3 in Secaucus, NJ. This week, longtime FOX Sports and MLB Network broadcaster Matt Vasgersian is joined by analysts Harold Reynolds and Dan Plesac.

FOX PRESENTS EXCLUSIVE LIVE COVERAGE OF ALL-STAR SELECTION SHOW – Leading in to the FOX SATURDAY BASEBALL GAME OF THE WEEK, MLB on FOX exclusively presents live coverage of the 2013 MLB All-Star Selection Show Saturday, July 6 (6:30 PM ET), announcing the starting lineups and reserves for the American and National League team rosters. The selection show is hosted by Matt Vasgersian and originates from MLB Network’s state-of-the-art Studio 3 in Secaucus, NJ. MLB’s All-Star Balloting Program is the largest of its kind in professional sports, and last year produced a record-shattering total of 40.2 million ballots cast. Voting at MLB.com concludes on Thursday, July 4 at 11:59 PM ET. The 84th MLB All-Star Game will be played at Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets, on Tuesday, July 16 on FOX Sports with pregame coverage beginning at 7:30 PM ET.

ROSENTHAL: DESERVING ALL-STAR AT SECOND BASE MAY SURPRISE YOU – MLB on FOX lead reporter Ken Rosenthal chimes in on the top stories around baseball, including which overlooked second baseman deserves a spot as an All-Star. “Take a guess: Which player has the highest OPS of any second baseman in the American League?” Rosenthal asks in his latest column for FOXSports.com. “Not Robinson Cano. Not Dustin Pedroia. Not Howie Kendrick or Ian Kinsler. Nope, the leader is Jason Kipnis of the Indians. Kipnis, 26, stands almost no chance of overtaking Cano in the All-Star fan balloting. He might not make the team at all, considering Pedroia’s all-around brilliance and Kendrick’s scorching performance in June. Still, consider the OPS standings at second: Kipnis: .917. Cano: .868. Pedroia: .843. Kendrick: .833. Is Kipnis an All-Star? Sure looks like it.”

For more from Rosenthal, including his take on teams like the Yankees, Orioles, Brewers and Marlins, click here: http://on-msn.com/1cGbU5B

FOX SPORTS FEATURE “THE AMERICAN WAY” HONORS VICTIMS OF OKLAHOMA TORNADO – This Independence Day weekend, FOX Sports proudly airs “The American Way,” a special feature dedicated to those affected by the tornadoes in Oklahoma and those that came to their aid. Shot in Moore, OK, where a devastating tornado took 24 lives in May, the feature showcases the ways in which the nation’s softball and baseball communities pitched in to help Oklahoma recover, rebuild and memorialize those who were lost. The feature mixes iconic images of America’s heartland with local news footage and intimate interviews with individuals who lived through the tornado, symbolized in the tragic story of nine-year-old Sydney Angle, who lost her life inside the Plaza Towers Elementary school. “The American Way” acknowledges those who reached out to their fellow Americans and examines how baseball and softball brought a measure of healing through the sorrow in the storm’s aftermath. The feature airs across FOX Sports properties during a variety of programming and online beginning July 4.

CONCACAF GOLD CUP KICKS OFF WITH LIVE DOUBLEHEADER SUNDAY –For the first time ever, FOX Sports Media Group televises all 25 matches of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, beginning with the doubleheader opener live Sunday, July 7 (5:00 PM ET) on FOX Soccer, as Canada takes on Martinique followed by Mexico vs. Panama at 7:30 PM ET. Gus Johnson calls the action from Mexico’s first match live from Pasadena’s Rose Bowl, with analysis from US Soccer Hall of Famer Cobi Jones. Rob Stone hosts on-site pregame, halftime and postgame coverage with analysts Eric Wynalda and Warren Barton.

SILVA’S SEVEN-YEAR REIGN ENDS AT UFC 162, SAYS SONNEN – Anderson Silva is one of the greatest UFC Champions of all time, and the middleweight belt holder has not lost in the Octagon since 2006, but FUEL TV’s UFC TONIGHT analyst and current light heavyweight Chael Sonnen believes Silva’s unbeaten streak ends this weekend against undefeated No. 1 contender Chris Weidman at UFC 162: SILVA vs. WEIDMAN.“Weidman will take Anderson down at will during the fight, and I believe he blows past Anderson’s guard and finishes him,” said Sonnen. “Chris will get to Anderson’s head, hurt him with ground and pound, and submit Anderson within three rounds with a D’arce choke or something similar. Weidman is a younger version of me – and a better version when it comes to aspects like top game. Weidman is going to have the same success I had with a ground attack, but then he’s going to choke Anderson. The seven-year reign is over.” Sonnen works as an analyst this weekend for FUEL TV’s UFC 162 WEIGH-IN SHOW on Friday, July 5 (7:00 PM ET) alongside host Jay Glazer and UFC middleweight Brian Stann. The UFC 162 PRELIMS air on FX on Saturday, July 6 (8:00 PM ET). FUEL TV wraps up the evening’s coverage with the UFC 162 POSTFIGHT SHOW (1:00 AM ET), hosted by Glazer, with heavyweight Daniel Cormier joining Sonnen and Stann as an analyst. Three-time MMA journalist of the year Ariel Helwani conducts postfight interviews.

VILLOPOTO PROVED HE’S THE FASTEST, BUT DUNGEY MUCH CLOSER IN MOTOCROSS SEASON - Round 7 of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship celebrates Independence Day with its annual visit to Buchanan, MI, and the Red Bull RedBud National on FUEL TV Saturday, July 6 (1:00 PM ET). Following last weekend’s victory in Southwick, MA, Ryan Dungey (Belle Plaine, MN) trails Ryan Villopoto (Poulsbo, WA) by only 12 points in the standings. With the season passing the halfway mark, FUEL TV analyst Jeff Emig believes neither can make a mistake if they want to win the overall title. “At the halfway point, Dungey is much closer to challenging Villopoto than he was at the beginning of the season,” said Emig. “However Villopoto has proved he’s the fastest guy out there. The two don’t have any weaknesses, but they can’t make any mistakes. Each moto has to be a perfect race. Each knows they have to bring it and keep getting better.”